Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus on which a client application involved in modeling in a control apparatus configured to perform three-dimensional object modeling runs, a control method, and a storage medium.
Description of the Related Art
A control apparatus configured to perform modeling of a three-dimensional object, which is a solid object, based on model data is generally called a three-dimensional (3D) printer, and use of 3D printers is rapidly increasing in recent years. Technology relating to 3D modeling is also called additive manufacturing. On the other hand, a two-dimensional (2D) printer refers to a printing apparatus configured to perform planar printing on paper (sheet), etc.
Examples of modeling methods of three-dimensional printers include fused deposition modeling (FDM), stereo lithography (STL), selective laser sintering (SLS), and an inkjet method. Consumable materials made from basic materials suitable for the respective modeling methods are used in object modeling. Examples of a system for replenishing a 3D printer with a consumable material include a system in which a dedicated cartridge is attached, a system in which a filament material wound around a core is used, and a system in which a container such as a bottle containing a liquid or powder consumable material is used.
Although 3D printers have existed, they are rarely put on the general market because most of them are large apparatuses for business use, are highly specialized, and are very expensive. However, recent technological innovations have enabled reduction in housing size and improvement in software operability, and products have been developed that are less expensive and can be used by general consumers. Further, corporate 3D printers for business use have improved in performance and decreased in costs compared to conventional printers, so many enterprises are now using 3D printers in the manufacture of prototypes and product parts.
In the above-described modeling in the 3D printers, modeling failure may occur, and there are various possible causes of the failure. One of the causes of the failure is that a consumable material runs out during the modeling. US 20060127153 A1 discusses a method including calculating the amount of a consumable material required for the modeling of an object and prompting a user to replace a cartridge currently used in a 3D printer with a new cartridge if the amount of remaining consumable material in the currently-used cartridge is smaller than the calculated required amount.
Meanwhile, in the above-described modeling in the 3D printers, a time for preparations before the modeling of an object and a time for operations after the modeling are also needed besides the time for the modeling of the object. For example, a preparation time for increasing the temperature of a print head, etc. is needed prior to the modeling, and an operation time for removing the object and eliminating waste liquid is also needed after the modeling. In the case of STL, waste liquid alcohol used to clean a surface of a modeled object needs to be eliminated.
In order to reduce the total time of the modeling of a plurality of objects including the preparation time and the operation time that are needed before and after the modeling, there are cases where the modeling of the plurality of objects is performed successively or concurrently in one modeling instruction. Specifically, there are cases where the modeling of a plurality of objects is performed as a single job executed in a single 3D printer.
Meanwhile, in the cases where the modeling of a plurality of objects is performed as a single job, a larger amount of consumable material is required for the single job, so there is a higher possibility that the consumable material will run out during the modeling. In a 3D printer, an interruption in the modeling as a result of a shortage of a consumable material such as a material during the modeling often affects the quality of a finished product. For example, in the case of FDM, a resin that is a consumable material needs to be fused at a constant temperature and joined, but an interruption in the modeling leads to a temperature difference at the joined portion, and this can cause a crack in the modeled object.
Use of the method discussed in US 20060127153 A1 is expected to prevent an interruption in the modeling due to a lack of a consumable material. However, the modeling of the object cannot be performed until the cartridge replacement is completed, so if a new usable cartridge is not readily available, a significant amount of time is consumed before the start of job execution. Consequently, the modeling of every one of the plurality of objects for which an instruction to perform modeling as a single job is given is delayed. Further, if the cartridge is discarded without using the remaining consumable material in the cartridge, the remaining consumable material in the cartridge is wasted.